K8-Unit – ART. 12: Sick Leave

ARTICLE 12. Sick Leave

A. General.

Sick Leave is provided by the University to continue the salary of eligible employees who would otherwise be on pay status but who are unable to work because of illness or disability. Sick Leave is also provided for medical appointments, parental bonding, family illness or bereavement leave. If applicable state or federal law requires the University to offer any sick leave provisions in a manner that would be more generous to employees than is currently provided in this Article, the University will comply with the law.

B. Accrual of Sick Leave.

Sick Leave accrues each quadri-weekly cycle based on the percent of time or number of hours on pay status during that quadri-weekly cycle. Employees must be on pay status at least one-half the working hours of a quadri-weekly cycle to accrue Sick Leave credit for that quadri-weekly cycle.

An employee shall earn leave at the rate of .046154 hours per hour on pay status. Generally, an employee who is on full-time pay status (40 hours a week) accrues approximately one day (8 hours) of sick leave per month. An employee on pay status for at least one-half (1/2) of the working hours in a month or quadri-weekly cycle (i.e., two (2) consecutive bi-weekly pay periods) is eligible to accumulate sick leave credit for that period.

The number of sick leave hours which may be accumulated is unlimited.

C. Eligibility

The following criteria shall apply:

1. An employee must be on pay status at least one-half the working hours of the quadri-weekly cycle to accrue Sick Leave for that quadri-weekly cycle.

2. Sick Leave shall accrue during leave with pay.

3. Sick Leave for each quadri-weekly cycle shall accrue at the end of the quadri-weekly cycle, except that an eligible terminating employee shall accrue proportionate Sick Leave through the last day on pay status.

4. Sick Leave shall not accrue for time on pay status in excess of forty hours in any work week.

5. There is no maximum on the amount of Sick Leave that may be accrued.

6. A full-time career employee who is on approved leave without pay accrues full Sick Leave credit for that quadri-weekly cycle provided the employee is on pay status at least one-half the working hours of the quadri-weekly cycle.

D. Use of Sick Leave

An employee shall be permitted to use accrued Sick Leave as provided below:

1. An employee shall not use Sick Leave prior to the time it is accrued.

2. An employee shall not use Sick Leave beyond a predetermined date of separation, including retirement or
layoff, or any leave without pay.

3. When it is deemed to be justified, an employee may be required to submit satisfactory documentation of personal or family illness, disability, or death to the University in order to receive an excused absence from work and sick leave pay. The employee shall be given notice prior to returning to work that they will be required to provide such documentation.

4. An employee shall be permitted to use not more than thirty days of accrued Sick Leave in any calendar
year when required to be in attendance or to provide care, not designated as FML, because of the serious illness of the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, parent, child (including the child of a domestic partner), sibling, or of any other related person who is residing in the employee’s household.

5. An employee who becomes ill while on vacation shall be permitted to use accrued Sick Leave if that
employee is under the care of a physician and submits a physician’s statement but may not use accrue Sick
Leave in the event of illness of a family member.

6. An employee shall be permitted to use not more than ten days of Sick Leave per occurrence when that
employee’s absence is required due to the death of the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, parent, child
(including the child of a domestic partner), sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. In-laws and step-relative in the relationships listed also are covered. This provision also covers other related persons residing in the
employee’s household. In addition, an employee shall be permitted to use not more than five days of Sick
Leave in any calendar year in the event an employee has a personal obligation with regard to funeral
attendance or bereavement due to the death of any other person. The employee shall provide prior notice to the immediate supervisor as to the need for and likely length of any such absence.

7. An employee who has accrued Sick Leave but who is presently employed less than one-half time may use
accrued Sick Leave, but not in excess of that employee’s present scheduled hours of work for any day.

E. Transfer and Reinstatement of Sick Leave

An employee who is transferred, promoted, or demoted from one University position to another in which Sick Leave accrues shall have the Sick Leave transferred. An employee who is transferred, promoted, or demoted to a position in which Sick Leave does not accrue shall not have prior Sick Leave transferred. However, if the employee later transfers to a position in which Sick Leave accrues, the previously accrued Sick Leave shall be reinstated.

F. Separation from Employment and Reinstatement of Sick Leave

An employee who is reemployed in the Skilled Craft unit after a break in service of less than fifteen calendar days shall have all Sick Leave from prior service reinstated. An employee who is reemployed in the Skilled Craft unit after a break in service of fifteen calendar days or more but less than six months shall have accrued Sick Leave from prior service not in excess of eighty hours reinstated.

  1. An employee who is reemployed under terms of the Layoff Article of this Agreement shall have accrued Sick Leave from prior service in the Skilled Craft unit reinstated.
  2. 2. An employee who retires within four months of separating from University employment and elects monthly retirement income will have accrued but unused sick leave converted to UCRP service credit under the terms and conditions of the UCRP Retirement Plan. Accrued but unused sick leave is not converted to service in a lump sum cash-out of retirement benefits.
  3. State of California service is included as University service for the purpose of applying Section G of this Article.
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